Sprinkler



Jne 1.7, 1930. L R NELSON 1,763,980

SPRINKLER Filed Nov. 28, 1927 gwn-toa',

L .RN/'525017,

automa;

Patented June 17, 1930 UNT STT'ES LEWEN R. NELSON, F PEORIA, ILLINOISSPRINKLER Application led November 28, 1927. Serial No. 236,117;

This invention pertains to sprinklers of that type which includes a partfor attachment to an upright standard or pipe discharging water underpressure, and a spray .i member pivotally supported on said part rotatedby such water pressure.

An object of the invention is to provide a sprinkler head wherein therotating spray member can always rotate freely even though the partcarrying it may become misshapen.

Another object is to furnish a sprinkler head of the type named whereina ball and socket structure is employed as a bearing for one end of thespray member and so disposed and arranged that though the other bearingfor said member may be moved out of its normal position the said spraymember may still rotate freely.

Still another object is to provide a spray head wherein a rotating spraymember has a ball and socket bearing at one end and a coned bearing atthe other end arranged and adapted whereby a chance misshaping of thepartcarrying said spray member will not affect the free rotation of thelatter or destroy its effectiveness in distributing water.

In the appended drawing- Figure 1 is a front elevation of my sprinklerhead.

Figure 2 is a rear elevation of a spray member.

y Figure 3 is a plan of the spray member,

and

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the sprinkler head showing the frontside of the said spray member.

I am aware of the prior art in devices of this type but am also familiarwith the didiculties met with when such devices become damaged in thatwhen a slight disarrangement of the affair occurs the free rotation ofthe spray member is affected.

The sprinkler head of my invention is made up of a main body including abase portion 1 having a cavity 2 threaded to screw upon a standard, notshown, for supplying Water under pressure. Further, the base is bored at3 to communicate with said cavity 2 and is threaded to receive a screw 4to be described in detail presently, Extending from said base is a pairof arms 5, for example, which curve outwardly and upwardly and meet in ayoke portion 6 provided with a bore 7 threaded to receive a plug 8having, in this case, a slot 9 to receive a screw driver or sim'- ilartool, there being a jamb nut 10 carried by the screw adapted to engagethe said yoke portion 6. In the inner end of the screw 8 is a conicalrecess 11 which receives the coned end of the stem 12 of the spraymember denoted in general by the character 13.

The screw 4 has a bore 4 and one end extends beyond the base 1 in thedirection of the screw 8 and is splierically rounded, the center of thebore 4 and the rounded surface being substantially in line with theconical cavity 11 of said screw 8.

Said spray member 13 includes a body 14 hollowed out substantially as at15, for example, and having a baseV portion 16 provided with a bore 17to communicate with the bore 4 of said screw' 4, the said base portion16of the member having in its lower surface a concavity 18 correspondingsubstantially to the curve of the exposed end of said screw 4, to

receive the same. f Y

In a study of Figure 1 it will be seen that the surface of the body 14at the bottom pf the hollow 15 curves from the base 16 upwardly andoutwardly away from the center of rotation so that water pressure uponsaid surface will cause spinning of the spray member on its supportswhich vare the stem-12 and the spherically curved or ball surface of thescrew 4. 'A l The surfaces of the concavity 18 and of theV screw 4 maydirectly engage throughout, or as in Figure l the rounded surface of theplug may be spaced from the surface of such concavity slightly so thatthe bearing may be an annular one, reducing friction somewhat. Thesurface within the concave may, however, be otherwise formed so long asa free ball and socket effect is obtainable. By an adjustment of thescrew 8, of course, the member 13 may be permitted as free movement asdesired, any desired position of the plug being maintained by saidjamb-nut 10.

The ball joint is located at the base portion 1 where there will be nolikelihood of its being Vsame lbeingheld in a driving fit in damaged orthrown out of position while the other end of the member 13 is supportedabove at the screw 8. Now, since the said ball joint is below upon arigid part of the sprinkler head it is clear that should the arms 5becomev bent in any direction or in any way by aceident so that thescrew 8 is moved from its nory mal position as manufactured, with theaxis of rotation of the'member 13 at an angle to` the bore 4, forexample, the said member can still rotate since the baseVv portionwliVwill merely move over the spherical surface olf the screw 4 to a newposition.

The spread of the conical recess 11 of theY screw 8 may be preferably'greater than the angle of the coned end of thel stem 12, as shown, sothat the point of said stem will seat in said recess-for proper actioneven in ex.- treme` cases, the only adjustment necessary beingv that'otmovement of-the. screw 8 to ren moveany pressure or binding and thus.restoring free rotation.

The plug 4 while preferably a separate part of the structureformanufacturing'reasons, i. e., to more readily form the roundedlsurface that receivesfthe member 13, may be omitted and said roundedlsurface may be formed on lthe body. 1 and be equally effective. Y Onthe other hand, it is preferable to make the said screw 4 of hardenedsteelto withstand wear, besides i-n a measure reduce frietion. Again,the stem 112 is preferably-1made of hardened steel.` for thesamejreasons, the a socket 12ofthjemember`l3." Y j Iiclaim' A sprinklerhead comprising a rigid body including a base having a passage 'and an Iarm a portion of vwhich lies opposite and in spaced-relation to saidbase, as'orew adjustably mountedl in the said, arm opposite said vbaseand having a 'conical socket, a rotor, ,Y a

stem inserted therein to engage in the said socket of the screw-,theother endof therotor having a cavity, 'and a screw adjustably mounted insaid baseopposite therstnamed screw-andhaving a spherically curved endto engage infthe cavity of the rotor, there being a passage extendingthrough thela'st'na-med Y' l screw communicating withthe passage ofthe Ybase, and there being'a'pass'age through that Y:srs

portion ofthe rotor having the eavity'cmmiinicatingwith 'they passageof'said last named-'screw In testimony whereofl aiiix my signature.MIQJEVVENl NELSON;

